Book Review: Roadside Geology of ...

Reviewed by Stephen J. Bespalko

The Roadside Geology series of books does not directly
relate to mineral or gem collecting. Nonetheless, it is a fine series
of books that will bring hours of enjoyment to anyone remotely
interested in the geology that can be seen from the vantage point
of an automobile. The series of approximately 18 books covers
areas within the breadth and depth of the United States. The
books are written by a variety of authors, but all are published by
Mountain Press Publishing Company of Missoula, Montana. To
give you an idea of the contents of a typical Roadside
Geology volume, we describe one of them below.

Roadside Geology of New Mexico by Halka Chronic (ISBN
0-87842-209-9; 1987; $9.95) is well organized and very different
from books you would normally think about taking on an
automobile trip. The first chapter presents an introduction to
basic geology and describes the overall geology of New Mexico.
Each of the next four chapters cover approximately one quarter
of the state. These chapters start with an introduction followed
by about ten sections. One section covers the geology of a stretch
of highway some tens of miles long. For example, the description
of the geology along Interstate 40 through New Mexico, which
extends about 350 miles, is covered in five sections.

The book contains a final chapter on the geology of the
National Parks and Monuments located within the state of New
Mexico. This chapter is a fine addition to the book since many of
the most geologically interesting sites in New Mexico can be
found in the parks. The book concludes with a further reading
list, a glossary, and an index.

The numerous diagrams, charts, and maps are all well
conceived and executed. Many are in multiple colors. The
photographs are large enough and of the correct proportions to
be easily identifiable with what you see from the road. The
technical content is accessible to anyone with an interest in the
earth sciences, and the writing style is ideal for a general interest
science book. The author makes the book appealing to a broad
audience by providing the proper balance between descriptions
of the geology itself (usually the rock formations) and
explanations of the geological processes that led to the creation
of those formations.

After driving most of the roads between New Mexico and
California, I have never found a better geological description of
the vast panoramas that occur along those roads -- this includes
the descriptions at scenic viewing stops and commonly available
travel aids like the AAA Travel Guides. Roadside Geology of
New Mexico belongs in the glove compartment of anyone taking
road trips through New Mexico.

Other volumes in the Roadside Geology series of books
include Idaho (1989), Montana (1986),
Northern California (1975), Oregon (1978),
The Northern Rockies (1972), and Washington
[state] (1984) by David D. Alt and Donald W. Hyndman;
Arizona (1983), Colorado (1980), New
Mexico (1987), and Utah (1990) by Halka Chronic;
Alaska (1988) by Cathy L. Connor and Daniel O'Haire;
The Yellowstone Country (1985) by William J. Fritz;
Virginia (1986) by Keith Frye; Wyoming (1988)
by David R. Lageson and Darwin Spearing; Texas (1991)
by Darwin Spearing; and New York (1985),
Pennsylvania (1990), and Vermont and New
Hampshire (1987) by Bradford B. VanDiver. Mountain Press
Publishing also lists two other books that may be similar: Rocks,
Ice and Water: The Geology of Waterton-Glacier Park (1973) by
Alt and Hyndman; and Time, Rocks, and the Rockies: A Geologic
Guide to Roads and Trails of Rocky Mountain National Park
(1984) by Chronic.

Hopefully, the noteworthy absence from the list of titles,
Southern California, will soon be added to the series.

The preceding article was originally published in the September 1993
issue of Lithosphere, the official bulletin of the
Fallbrook [California] Gem and Mineral Society, Inc; Richard Busch
(Editor).

Permission to reproduce and distribute this material, in
whole or in part, for non-commercial purposes, is hereby granted
provided the sense or meaning of the material is not changed and
the author's notice of copyright is retained.

Last updated: 18 September 2002
http://geopress.rbnet.net/roadside.htm